A/Prof Peter McFawn is a graduate of UWA, with both his BSc and PhD. He then spent four years in a research fellowship position at Queens University in Canada before returning to UWA to take up his current position as an Associate Researcher, where he works closely with his former PhD supervisor, Prof. Howard Mitchell.

Key research

A/Prof McFawn primary research area is the respiratory physiology of airways from the mouth to the lungs, especially concerning the muscles associated with breathing. In healthy people the smooth muscle in the airways can be relaxed simply by taking a deep breath. However, people with medical problems such as asthma can suffer from hyper-tension of these muscles, making it difficult to breathe. As well as helping us to understand better how our bodies work, A/Prof McFawn's research can be directly applied to the health science and may one day help people with respiratory problems and diseases.